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- Sep 13, 2006
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Hey guys,
I'm a California native and would like to go back home for residency. My board scores are good (250s) but everything else is about average. I have no honors in M3 yet and I'm still trying. I have several honors in M1 and M2 years. I'm trying to do a radiology case report too. As far as extracurriculars, I'm an officer in the Radiology Interest Group and I work in the Radiology department here on some of their IT stuff, so I know the chairman pretty well. I'm at a Midwest school.
I have no delusions about getting into a top program in CA. I am happy with any program in CA. Can you guys give me advice about doing externships in CA?
Some residents I've asked said don't do it and told me that the med students who have rotated at their program this year will probably not be ranked. Some have told me that it has helped them and that I should rotate there.
So my questions are:
1) Should I do 1 or 2 externships? If 2, should they both be in CA?
2) I am thinking I should do my externship at a lower tier program. My gut tells me that doing it at a higher tier program (UCSD, UCLA) will only hurt me and my best bet with these top tier programs is to just try to get an interview there and interview well.
3) Is my gut feeling wrong and should I rotate at someplace like UCSD, get a good letter from them, which would help me with the lower tier CA programs?
4) Can I expect to match in CA?
Thanks for any advice.
I'm a California native and would like to go back home for residency. My board scores are good (250s) but everything else is about average. I have no honors in M3 yet and I'm still trying. I have several honors in M1 and M2 years. I'm trying to do a radiology case report too. As far as extracurriculars, I'm an officer in the Radiology Interest Group and I work in the Radiology department here on some of their IT stuff, so I know the chairman pretty well. I'm at a Midwest school.
I have no delusions about getting into a top program in CA. I am happy with any program in CA. Can you guys give me advice about doing externships in CA?
Some residents I've asked said don't do it and told me that the med students who have rotated at their program this year will probably not be ranked. Some have told me that it has helped them and that I should rotate there.
So my questions are:
1) Should I do 1 or 2 externships? If 2, should they both be in CA?
2) I am thinking I should do my externship at a lower tier program. My gut tells me that doing it at a higher tier program (UCSD, UCLA) will only hurt me and my best bet with these top tier programs is to just try to get an interview there and interview well.
3) Is my gut feeling wrong and should I rotate at someplace like UCSD, get a good letter from them, which would help me with the lower tier CA programs?
4) Can I expect to match in CA?
Thanks for any advice.
